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Yes this happened to me, except that the mother cat had 3 kittens. I fed them (tins of cat food from the supermarket), treated them for fleas, wormed them, had them de-sexed (at a cheaper rate through the cat protection society), and adopted out the kittens through our local vet. I kept the mother cat. Seven years later the mother cat is still our pet cat. She is a lovely cat.

A different option would be to call the RSPCA, although they wont take kittens that are too young (I don't know the minimum age) and they won't keep aggressive cats.

The cat protection society is another option, although they often don't have space to take extra cats.

15 months ago we trapped a stray mother with 8 kittens! It took us a while to get all 8 kittens but we go there in the end as the little kittens would never survive at that young age without mum.

All 8 ended up being adopted through a charity we sometimes volunteer for.

We still have the mother cat too - super confident, naughty and huge chatterbox. She has claimed the top floor of our home - kicking out the two other cats who we own. Those two cats are nervous to come to our top floor now but all is good - they get along 95% of the time - as long as it is not on the top floor.

Well done to you and wizzy. So you were both able to tame down wild cats?? I wonder whether they were actually wild cats or if they were abandoned pets. Either way, you both deserve medals, and you have helped restore a bit of my faith in human nature.

Thanks Peck, our mother cat must have been abandoned. She is super confident, will come to us, jump on our bed, sit on our laps or next to us when we watch TV, approach us without prompting … however she is frightened of little children (I guess she must have been traumatised by them before us?)

We have another stray cat in our neighbourhood at the moment who we are feeding. He is super scared :( but over time he has approached me and has reluctanctly allowed me to stroke his ears and back. Over time I hope he becomes more approachable and hopefully catch it and "train" it to allow people to contact him.

There are some cats which are 'wild' as you say, that is unlikely OR too difficult to socialise - that's a sad fact. Some are able to respond positively to humans. We try our best and hope for the best.

If I had one dream in the world, it is to ensure all stray cats and dogs have a home to go to.

@DrunkOnTheGoodLife: A great dream. I travel to Thailand a bit, and, from time to time I feed the stray cats and dogs. I know that it doesn't help much though. Maybe it gives them temporary energy to run away from a predator or chase some food. The dogs are almost all abandoned pets, and so are very tame. I donate to a charity called 'Soi Dog' (stray dogs are referred to as Soi dogs = street dogs). I don't know how good 'Soi Dog' is, as they are supposed to catch, desex and release abandoned street dogs, but I have never noticed that any are desexed.

Pretty much every cat on this side of town that gets picked up by local council is funneled into Lost dogs home the kittens will have a very good chance of getting adopted out , the mother it depends on how old, aggressive and health issues it has

An outdoor cat means a loss of native wildlife a human being, coaxed by society's ongoing fetish of breeding into existence and otherwise keeping other species as living trinkets, has exercised irresponsibility that goes largely unchecked, but rather the cat - an unwilling co-victim along with the their prey - is blamed and expected to pay the ultimate price for doing nothing more than existing according to their natural instincts.

Cats don't need to be put down; breeders and the entire institution of pets needs to be shut down. We put existing cats in their miserable position in the first place; if we have any decency we should at least afford them a graceful exit.

@domcc1: I would suggest, as far as possible, giving the cat a graceful exit. That might be taking them in till they live out their natural life, maybe it's having them killed as humanely as possible. It depends…

The situation is messy because of it's messy genesis. There is hardly a morally justifiable position to take but there may be morally excusable positions. If that interests you then google those terms for lots of information on how to possibly grapple with the situation.

It MIGHT mean a loss of native wildlife. Not all outside cats have the hunting instinct. I say this as someone who 100% thinks cats should be contained inside or outside (enclosure/High fences), as our own cats are. But I have known a few cats over the years who are let outside during the day who just don’t care about chasing anything other than the sunshine. I wonder if the difference is cats who are curfewed back inside between dusk and dawn don’t have the drive as much as those who like the nightlife and got to boogie?

Spot on. Why wait till all the resources are gone and 10s of billions fight over scraps.
No one has the balls to start enforcing unchecked human breeding but one day they will wish they did.
Then Thanos will come along…

We had a wild one here a few weeks back, though she seemed pretty tame and would come over for a cuddle. we were debating what course of action to take but got up one morning to find her squished all over the road. But then I saw a different one hanging around the other night too, not sure if they were related.

@Quantumcat: People who are smart enough to recognise and be sad about the widespread native wildlife deaths perpetrated by outdoor cats are sociopaths whose only sensible policy prescription is to commit suicide?

Oh yes how silly of me. You're definitely the rational person in this discussion…

@jacross: The point is that all living things cause harm to their environment so using that as an argument to kill them is the same argument as to why you should kill yourself. i.e. a faulty one. Otherwise you're just a hypocrite.

@jacross: I'd think that you as a consumer would do more harm to the environment around you than an outdoors cat…

So if you're upset that an outdoor cat is doing harm and you are happy it's dead, isn't his logic correct? Unless you can justify how much net positive you generate then you're contributing to the deaths of millions of animals and people worldwide etc. etc. and your death would likely be a net positive from an environmental perspective. :)

@brad1-8tsi: nah, I know what my kitties are like when they've found something live, they make that weird chirping noise. if there was something out there we would be seeing the little ones scrabbling at the garden beds, and they just aren't. They get excited enough when I put some stuff in the compost bin and some flies get out.

It makes sense, cats living with owners often go to work leaving cats outside who get bored. Cats are solitary creatures which make them perfect predators to kill one animal at a time. They're not natural to Australia that has so many diverse small animals.

If you really want hard brutal proof. Buy a mouse and put it in front of them. I saw my own late cat that was lazy and tame would suddenly get a lot of energy and kill it all in span of 5 seconds after we both saw it appear at same time.

You put a live mouse in front of your cat, just how sick are you? I have had hunters, in the past, but everything the caught was introduced, like pigeons and rats. I know what my cats are capable of and they aren’t allowed off my property.

I didn't put one in front of my cat. It came in after biting through the window screen; eventually it then ran across the living room in front of me, my mum and the cat. We were shocked at how quick the whole thing happened. I thought it was just a cat being a cat.

There are cats used to mice tho. Look up youtube unusual couples cat and mice.

@orangetrain: Not unless little girls have crampons to scale two storey brick walls. Our property is on the boundaries with two storey triple brick walls. We used to let our old cats roam but our current ones are contained.

Any canned cat food would be good for mamma. Fancy Feast is especially liked by mine. Some dried food, again Fancy Feast, is good for a snack. Don't forget fresh water, but not milk, as it can cause stomach upsets.

We’re with AWL and they’re fantastic, helping us with food and litter. We don’t have to worry with vet bills either. So far from the litter of 7 plus the random kitten saved from a carpark all but 3 are still with us and one of those (possibly two because she’s ADORABLE AS HELL) will probably stay lol

I have a similar problem, three adult cats roaming in our backyard and front yard in the night and leaving the poop everywhere. We have a dog that stays inside at night and only in the backyard during the day. During the day these cats come to our front yard too- right in front of us and they are not phased at times.

We called the council and they sent us paperwork for cat trap and it is free for us. No cost at all and they will pick the trapped cat in a matter of hours during business hours. We decided not to go with as there is a chance they will put them down and we will bear with them.
I don't mind they eat leftover food from our dog as they need to eat it too, I guess another reason they keep coming back.

Anyone has any suggestion for the poop situation, it is left all around the house, dirt, plants, concrete, tiles, pavers and sometimes at the gate? It is very annoying. I love animals and can't see any harm done to them. Can't keep them either because of our dog- doesn't go well with cats or even other dogs

@Quantumcat: I have heard it said that 1 feral cat kills 1000 natives per year. It's far more ethical to kill the one cat that doesn't belong there than let it kill 1000 of the native wildlife a year who do. The idea of catch, desex and release doesn't stack up on environmental, financial or any logical grounds that I can think of.

@tryagain: Using that argument means you can kill human beings - think of how many native species need to die to clear enough land to grow food for you, or dig mines to get steel to make your car or get oil for petrol? You don't get to pick and choose and apply an argument only to things you don't like and conveniently forget it for things you do like.

@tryagain: Your argument means we should be killing lions because they kill antelopes - lions aren't humans so it is ok.

You can have any opinion you like just don't be under the impression that you've made any sort of logical argument for it.

I'm "for" not taking a deliberate action that kills currently living things - if I am "for" anything. If the currently living creatures kill other currently living creatures - well that's a bit sad for the creatures getting killed but I don't believe a solution is to go around committing wholesale slaughter of every non-vegan animal. All you can do is encourage desexing of pets (to prevent more in future) and responsible ownership of the ones that currently exist (so they don't need to hunt to survive, and are kept away from creatures they can kill).

Your argument means we should be killing lions because they kill antelopes - lions aren't humans so it is ok

No, it's not, that's a strawman argument. Lions and antelopes are part of the same ecosystem, If there were millions of feral lions in Australia decimating the native ecosystem, then yes, I would be for killing them. Lions in their own ecosystem are fine.

You can have any opinion you like just don't be under the impression that you've made any sort of logical argument for it.

I have laid out a perfectly logical argument for killing feral animals, so far all you have bought against it is a red herring and strawman arguments.

I'm "for" not taking a deliberate action that kills currently living things

Perhaps a bit subjective but I would say advocating for the release of feral animals into an environment where there are little natural predators would be a deliberate action that results in the needless death of many native animals.

The only real argument I can make out against culling feral cats it "I like cats, so don't kill them" it's not a good argument, but so far it's the only real one I have heard.

deliberate action that results in the needless death of many native animals.

When I say "deliberate action" I mean killing it yourself. Not avoiding an action that has the side effect of another living thing causing death to a second living thing.

Since your new argument is about native vs introduced animals - are you saying we should kill all sheep and cows in this country, as they are introduced species threatening native ones?

My simple ethical guideline has no loopholes and is sound, whereas you need to keep doubling back and clarifying things you haven't thought of before.

And it isn't that I just like cats - I hate dogs, but just because they sometimes maul kangaroos, possums and children to death I don't cheer when one gets hit by a car. It is just sad. Any human with a heart should feel sad when something dies, no matter how "guilty" you think it is. It is only an animal which can't help but follow its nature, it isn't as though it is able to weigh up good and bad and decide to take a bad action. No court of law would find an animal guilty of a crime, so your lynch mob mindset just makes zero sense.

@Quantumcat: My argument hasn't changed and has been well thought out before this thread, it's the same as Government agencies and wildlife conservationists. Your woefully incorrect interpretation of it has changed though as I have had to correct it.

Last I checked sheep and cows are vegetarian and aren't feral, cane toads are a more accurate comparison to feral cats and I have no issues with them being culled either.

And it isn't that I just like cats - I hate dogs, but just because they sometimes maul kangaroos, possums and children to death I don't cheer when one gets hit by a car. It is just sad. Any human with a heart should feel sad when something dies, no matter how "guilty" you think it is. It is only an animal which can't help but follow its nature, it isn't as though it is able to weigh up good and bad and decide to take a bad action. No court of law would find an animal guilty of a crime, so your lynch mob mindset just makes zero sense.

I don't attribute the root issue to Cat's themselves but "Cat People" who don't keep their cats locked up, or those who advocate for the release of feral cats. They are the ones who due to their negligent actions, have resulted with the native ecosystem paying the brunt of the price with feral cats implicated in the extinction of at least 20 mammal species and sub-species, the government now also has to spend literally 10's of millions of dollars to address the problem they have caused.

If you want a pet cat and keep it either inside or in a run then that's fine by me, I have no issue with cats being kept correctly, but if you want to let it roam then you are the problem. I don't cheer the death of a cat either, especially if it is someone's pet, much like I don't cheer the death of a cane toad, but any sadness of a feral cat or a cane toad being killed is offset by the benefits that them being removed from the ecosystem bring. Reality says we can either choose to continue having feral cats or the continued eradication of Native species, there are no real alternatives. I know which side I happily sit on, if you have some other miraculous financially viable solution for the millions of feral cats in Australia then I am sure the government would be all ears.

If they're definitely someone's pets then they should know how to use a litter box. If you put one outside then that might contain the poo to one area.

I've known dogs to object to their territory being soiled by other animals and they eat what the cats lay down. Could be an option, and at least you'll be getting your money's worth on the food you buy your dog.

Hi Violet :) I agree with Orangetrain, you sound like a wonderful candidate for fostering cats and kittens! I put it off for far too long, then last year my partner and I were kind of forced into it when a litter of seven strays were in desperate help in getting off the street. We took them in and joined with Animal Welfare League who takes care of the vet bills, desexing, microchip, vacc’s, medications etc. Their advertising means that the kittens have a far better chance of being homed properly than we could ever do on our own. In the meantime we’ve had a ball with the hilarious little ratbags, one of them - maybe two - will even stay with us! It won’t really matter which shelter you go with, but we went with AWL for their bigger exposure and possibility of having more money to help out. You may have trouble letting them go, but you’ll see they go to great families and you’ll be happy for them, and happy you’ve made a difference in their lives :D

Happend to us once. Called Lort Smith animal shelter and theytold us to bring them in. This was 10 years ago though. Best to ring them and/or Lost dogs in North Melbourne to see what options they give you. Good luck.

I remember having feral cats in the garage area of the unit complex I lived in. The flea infestation was horrendous. Flea bombing did nothing. My legs would turn black within seconds of walking to my car. Scars were around for 6 months after the bites. The itching was crazy and mentally I was losing my mind.

I bought a trap and tuna and trapped 9 cats in less than 2 weeks. Caught 3 kittens in one go. I would leave them with a neighbour who would hand over to the local council when they arrived. Not sure what happened to them.

In your case with a backyard I would probably ignore them. They should eventually take off.